2025 Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Forum Closes with Leaders Outlining Progress and Paths Forward for Global Cooperation
Representatives from 63 countries joined leaders from business and philanthropy to address some of the world’s most urgent challenges and opportunities
Bloomberg Philanthropies announced $75 million global Vision Initiative to expand access to screenings, surgeries, and eyeglasses for millions of people experiencing untreated vision impairment
Seventeen African countries, convened by the World Bank Group and African Development Bank Group, endorse energy compacts under Mission 300 to expand electricity access by 2030
Note to Editors: Photos of this event are available at Bloomberg Philanthropies & Getty
New York, NY – Today, Bloomberg Philanthropies convened global leaders — including representatives from 63 countries, CEOs, and philanthropic leaders — for the Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Forum in New York. Held on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly, the Forum examined key trends in economic growth, public health, energy security, biodiversity, and opportunities through sports, with Africa highlighted as a hub for investment and infrastructure ahead of the G20 Summit in South Africa this November.
Opening the Forum’s plenary, Michael R. Bloomberg, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions, WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries, and Founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Bloomberg L.P., focused on the power of collaboration and partnership.
Bloomberg said, “In a world that’s more interconnected and fast-moving than ever before, the biggest problems can’t be solved by national governments alone. That’s why this Forum brings together leaders from business, philanthropy, nonprofits, and government. Here, we’re united not as nations – but as problem-solvers, innovators, and doers – all bound by a belief that collaboration across the public and private sectors is essential to shared success.”
During his remarks, Bloomberg announced the Bloomberg Philanthropies Vision Initiative, a new public health effort to help address untreated vision impairment which affects an estimated one billion people globally. Partnering with Warby Parker, Aravind Eye Care System, Sightsavers, VisionSpring, the World Health Organization, and others, the $75 million initiative will restore sight and expand access to vision screenings, cataract surgeries, and eyeglasses for millions of people in the United States and in low- and middle-income countries.
Bloomberg also unveiled a new partnership between the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) to mobilize private sector investment across the African continent. “Today we took a decisive step–embarking on a new journey of partnerships and collective action. I am glad that we have allies who believe in the importance of progressive partnerships and who are ready to work hand in hand with the African Development Bank Group. Together we will consolidate our strengths for mobilizing private sector resources and unleashing investments at scale for Africa’s development,” said Dr. Sidi Ould Tah, President of the AfDB.
The Forum featured panels and conversations with Roberta Metsola, President, European Parliament; and The Right Honourable David Lammy, Deputy Prime Minister, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; Mo Abudu, CEO, EbonyLife Group; Ajay Banga, President, World Bank Group; Bruce Flatt, CEO, Brookfield; Bill Gates, Chair, Gates Foundation; Jane Goodall, Founder, The Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace; Djimon Hounsou, Actor and Founder, Djimon Hounsou Foundation; Adebayo Ogunlesi, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Global Infrastructure Partners; Dr. Sidi Ould Tah, President, African Development Bank; Henry M. Paulson Jr., Chairman, The Paulson Institute; Ruth Porat, President & Chief Investment Officer, Alphabet & Google; Adam Silver, NBA Commissioner; Masai Ujiri, Co-Founder, Giants of Africa and Zaria Group; and Shemara Wikramanayake, Managing Director & CEO, Macquarie Group.
Highlights from the Forum included the launch of the Paulson Institute’s 2025 update to their 2020 Financing Nature report during a panel with Jane Goodall and Henry M. Paulson, focused on biodiversity. The report finds that rapid biodiversity loss has led to a widening of the annual global biodiversity financing gap from $711 billion in 2020 to $942 billion in 2024 – showing the quickly growing financial resources required to protect and restore nature. “Nature is resilient. It’s much better to save it than destroy it, and it will come back quickly, because it heals itself,” said Henry M. Paulson Jr., Chairman of The Paulson Institute.
On the power of individual action, Dr. Jane Goodall, Founder of The Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace, said, “Every single one of us, all over the world, every day we live, we make some impact, and all of us can choose wisely what kind of impact we make.”
During a discussion on how AI is reshaping industries, economies, and communities, Ruth Porat, President & Chief Investment Officer, Alphabet & Google, said, “It is both moving really fast and really slow. And what I mean by that is, when you focus on the science, the breakthroughs in science are breathtaking. The pace at which we’re seeing advancement – the excitement about AI is across the board. What is slow is actually the implementation in both the public and the private sector.”
Giving his quick take on the expansion of the NBA and how the league is using the power of basketball to foster opportunity and economic development across the globe, Adam Silver, NBA Commissioner, said, “The UN is estimating, in just 25 years from now, 40 percent of the young people in the world will live in Africa. And so we see, as the NBA, an amazing opportunity to build the sport there, to build an arena of infrastructure…There’s no reason that those franchises shouldn’t have the same global value you see in franchises across the United States and Europe.”
Addressing how foreign policy is shaping the United Kingdom’s role in a rapidly changing global landscape, The Right Honourable David Lammy, Deputy Prime Minister, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, said, “Let us preserve the cornerstone for democracy up against autocrats and dictators where people do not enjoy the freedoms that we enjoy coming together in a room like this.”
Speaking on AI and the need for regions, stakeholders, and projects that are poised to deliver returns and meet the world’s infrastructure needs, Bruce Flatt, CEO, Brookfield, said, “The real problem we have is that we can’t build power fast enough–we’re not even in the first inning. The big impediment is not chips, it’s not models–it’s power and data centers.”
Adding to the discussion, Adebayo Ogunlesi, Chairman and CEO, Global Infrastructure Partners, said, “We’re at the beginning of the Golden Age of private capital infrastructure. Think about all the big macro treaties, digitization, energy transition, energy security, infrastructure renewal – these are all going to require very large amounts of capital at a time where public sources are constrained. The only realistic alternative is private capital.” Further noting the importance of infrastructure resiliency, Shemara Wikramanayake, Managing Director & CEO, Macquarie Group, said, “What’s happening at the moment is a level of deglobalization being driven where lots of other regions are waking up to the fact that they need to be self-reliant from energy, security, defense, [and more]. Supply chains are moving in terms of trade that create real opportunity for infrastructure investors like us. It’s a challenge, but also an opportunity.”
In a discussion focused on Europe’s leadership role and the key challenges and opportunities shaping its future, Roberta Metsola, President, European Parliament, said, “We’re talking about how to make a continent that should be much more competitive, that should be much more open for business. That should make it much easier for people to grow, to scale up, to invest, that our AI graduates stay in Europe and actually continue to showcase the best talent we have on our continent, that our universities continue to grow. How do you make sure that education and health remain free? This is a big debate in the European Union, and one that is non-negotiable.”
Highlighting the importance of cross-sector partnerships on infrastructure, talent development, and health, which can drive economic growth and innovation in Africa, Bill Gates, Chair, Gates Foundation, shared his experience, explaining, “It’s the magic formula: generosity and innovative new tools to unlock all of this human potential.” Masai Ujiri, Co-Founder, Giants of Africa and Zaria Group, said, “We have to take responsibility. We have to invest in the people, the youth of Africa. Africa’s biggest jewel is its people.”
On a panel centered around the importance of creating and distributing African content, Mo Abudu, Founder & CEO, EbonyLife Group, added, “We’re building the platforms. We’re telling the stories. When you are seen as an African, and someone says, what do you think of Africa – it will be words of joy and gladness and success.” Djimon Hounsou, Actor and Founder, Djimon Hounsou Foundation, added, “Africa storytelling is everything, and in order for Africa to have a voice, we need to be able to drive content.”
At the Forum, the World Bank Group and African Development Bank Group convened the Mission 300: Energizing Africa event, where 17 African governments — Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, and Togo — endorsed National Energy Compacts to expand electricity access as part of the effort to connect 300 million people in Africa to electricity by 2030. Building on early progress that has already connected 30 million people, with more than 100 million in the pipeline, the event also brought together private sector leaders with heads of state and development partners to explore avenues for delivering reliable, affordable, and sustainable power to create jobs and power economies.
Leaders participating in the ceremony included H.E. Taye Atske Selassie, President of Ethiopia; H.E. John Dramani Mahama, President of Ghana; H.E. Julius Maada Wonie Bio, President of Sierra Leone; H.E. Faure Gnassingbé, President of the Council of the Republic of Togo; T.R.H. Ntsokoane Samuel Matekane, Prime Minister of Lesotho; and H.E. Américo Ramos, Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe.
“Mission 300 is simple in aim and serious in execution: connect 300 million people to reliable electricity by 2030 because electricity is the first building block of jobs, enterprise, and dignity,” said Ajay Banga, President, World Bank Group. “The lives changed by new connections matter; equally important are the reforms, investments, and utility improvements that endure.”
“Reliable, affordable power is the fastest multiplier for small and medium enterprises, agro-processing, digital work, and industrial value-addition,” said Dr. Sidi Ould Tah, President, African Development Bank Group President. “Give a young entrepreneur power, and you’ve given them a paycheck.”
Additional attendees at the Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Forum and Mission 300 event included: Her Majesty Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Financial Health; Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris; Grant Hill, Managing Director, USA Basketball and Co-Owner, Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club; Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization; Alex Rodriguez, Chairman & CEO of A-Rod Corp, Owner, Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx; Clara Wu Tsai, Owner, New York Liberty and Brooklyn Nets; Neil Blumenthal, Co-founder and Co-CEO, Warby Parker; Dr. Patrice Motsepe, Global Entrepreneur and Philanthropist, Founder of African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) and Motsepe Foundation, President of the Confédération Africaine de Football; Raj Subramaniam, CEO, FedEx; David Rubenstein, Co-Founder & Co-Chairman, The Carlyle Group; Admiral (Ret.) Michael Mullen, 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Andreas Dracopoulos, Co-President of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation; Anne Finucane, Chairwoman of Rubicon Carbon and former Vice Chair of Bank of America; Katherine Garrett-Cox, CEO, GIB Asset Management and Chair, Clean Air Fund; Jason Knauf, CEO of The Earthshot Prize; and artists JR and Theaster Gates.
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About Bloomberg Philanthropies:
Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 700 cities and 150 countries worldwide to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on creating lasting change in five key areas: the Arts, Education, Environment, Government Innovation, and Public Health. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including his foundation, corporate, and personal philanthropy as well as Bloomberg Associates, a philanthropic consultancy that advises cities around the world. In 2024, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $3.7 billion. For more information, please visit bloomberg.org, sign up for our newsletter, or follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, Facebook, and X.
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